Former Manchester United, Real Madrid and LA Galaxy star Beckham came on in the 76th minute on a freezing, snowy night in Paris to a rousing reception.

After an assured first touch and two more clean passes, a stray ball down the wing was met by derision from the Marseille fans who were pushing their team forward in search of a late equaliser.

But in a Hollywood ending to his debut, Beckham made sure the headlines will again feature his name by playing a crucial role in the second PSG goal.

The 37-year-old Englishman, who is the oldest player in the French league, played a neat one-two with Jeremy Menez who then crossed the ball which bounced in off the leg of Zlatan Ibrahimovic for the Swede's league-leading 22nd goal of the season.

Advertisement

Beckham joyfully jumped into the arms of Ibrahimovic with the three points safe and his reputation once again enhanced despite the massive pressure he was under.

"To play with Beckham was a real honour," said PSG midfielder Blaise Matuidi. "I was a great fan of his at Manchester United."

The game more than lived up to the massive hype of Beckham's impact during a rousing first half in which PSG dominated the early chances and hit the post in the second minute before taking a fortunate lead after 11 minutes.

Brazilian star Lucas Moura was at the heart of the breakthrough as his determination led to some sustained pressure that finally produced a shot that was deflected twice, first by Joey Barton and then decisively by Cameroon defender Nicolas N'Koulou for an own-goal that left 'keeper Steve Mandanda stranded.

"It's a huge win for the team and we needed the three points," beamed defender Sylvain Armand.

When asked about Beckham's cameo, he replied. "It was a pleasure to play with him."

The highlight for home fans and many neutrals was the introduction of Beckham who came on for Javier Pastore with the game on the line and only 14 minutes left.

Earlier on Sunday, seven-time champions Lyon kept up the pressure on PSG with a come-from-behind 3-1 victory over Brittany side Lorient at the Stade Gerland.

Remi Garde's men, who crashed out of the Europa League mid-week, returned to winning ways thanks to goals from Lisandro Lopez, Rachid Ghezzal and Arnold Mvuemba.

Bordeaux put a damp note on their week's work as they crashed to a surprise 2-0 home defeat against relegation-threatened Brest, just days after eliminating Dynamo Kiev to reach the last 16 of the Europa League.